The Alpha King's Hunt

Chapter 9

Valarie

It was the breeze that woke me later that night.

At first I thought I was still home, sleeping in my small bedroom with the window open and the night breeze stealing inside. I loved the air at night; scented with pine and the musk of whatever animals were out there roaming. Some nights I even rose and tiptoed quietly downstairs, outside, to run for a while in the dark silence.

But the shape of unfamiliar furniture in the shadows jogged my memory, and I recalled our arrival just three days before at the Kingdom. The determination of the other princesses, the slow build up to coming competitions, and the threat of Gabriel stalking them all.

I sat up in bed quickly, realizing what was wrong.

All of the windows and doors in their suite were shut. There was no way a breeze could get in. Unless.

I was up and in the living area in moments, walking on the balls of my feet quickly and silently, hackles rising. I tilted my nose to the air and did smell a musk, but just the musk of a man. The smell was of winter and citrus.

Nostrils flaring, I stalked the edge of the room as my eyes adjusted to the dark. I glanced at Sophia's door and saw that it was still closed. Then the glint of moonlight caught my eye.

One of the floor to ceiling windows was open. Just enough for someone to have slipped through.

As soon as I saw it, I was tackled to the ground, a hand clamping over my mouth, fingers digging into my cheek as pain shot through my shoulder. I fought back a whimper and tried to roll, instead, to get on top of my assailant.

For a moment I managed it before I felt muscles undulate beneath my thighs, and then I was being crushed against the tile again, hair spread around my face in a wild mess.

A low growl broke the silence and my body rippled in submission.

Whoever was pressing down on me so intimately was an alpha.

I tried to slow my breathing and the hand loosened just slightly. I was tugged up into a sitting position and the moonlight finally fell onto my captor's face.

It was Gabriel.

His incredibly pale hair ruffled in the breeze and I took in his features, softened in the shadows despite his serious expression.

"Are you going to be quiet?" he asked in a low voice, and I nodded.

The hand over my mouth dropped, but he kept a tight grip on my upper arms. His eyes tracked down my body and I realized suddenly that I was sleeping in a thin shift.

The breeze had made my nipples tighten and although I tried to hunch my shoulders inward, the intensity in Gabriel's gaze as he looked back up at me made it obvious that he'd seen everything.

He slowly licked his bottom lip and I shivered again, fighting back the urge to please the Alpha. There were other things to be concerned about.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed, and fought back a scream as he jerked me quickly upward, steadying me against his chest.

My eyes came to his mouth and I looked down and away quickly, not trusting my instincts.

"I'm here for your princess," he stated simply, turning and giving me a gentle shove back toward my rooms.

I opened my mouth in disbelief, turning back to him with my hands on my hips, unaware that the shift had ridden up around my thighs.

"How dare you!? You just presume that you're welcome here after a few dances –"
Gabriel's chuckle was low and dark, stirring something deep in me. My eyes widened.